DURBAN - THE future of the multibillion-rand Go!Durban project remains uncertain as the eThekwini Municipality and taxi operators square up for a fight over who should own the buses that will operate on the new routes.
The municipality wants to take ownership of the project, insisting that it cannot allow public transport to be privatised. However, taxi operators have warned the city against that, saying it should relinquish control or the project would never see the light of day.
The operators said the stalemate over the ownership of the buses was the last and final step to the agreement, adding that the city’s position would be opposed. They vowed that there would be no launch of the Go!Durban project until the city acceded to the industry’s demand.
EThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda told The Mercury yesterday that negotiations with the taxi operators were ongoing, and that the city would not allow public transport to be privatised.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a tour by executive committee (exco) members to visit and assess major projects that were being undertaken in the municipality. The Go!Durban project is among the projects that were visited by exco members, including Thabani Mthethwa from the DA as well as Mdu Nkosi from the IFP.
During the inspection visit to the Go!Durban station in Pinetown yesterday, Kaunda boarded one of the buses in a test ride that took him to the Midway Mall in Newlands West.
“As the government we have taken a principled position, which is a policy decision that we can’t privatise public transport; that is the fundamental principle, hence we are now in the process of establishing a public entity that will be running buses. That public entity will incorporate the participation of the public sector, the small operators and the taxi industry,” said Kaunda.
“I can tell you our position is that the municipality wants to own 51% of the operation of Go!Durban, that is where we are and that is what we are negotiating with our partners. They have their own views. We respect their views, but we need to conclude the negotiations.”
Exco members also visited other projects, including the site earmarked for the proposed film city development at the old Natal Command headquarters on the Durban beachfront. On that project, Kaunda said the legal dispute around the land had been resolved and he hoped that construction would begin before the end of the year.
They also visited developments west of Durban, including warehouses in Hammarsdale and a mixed-use development that would include a hospital, a shopping centre and residential development in Ntshongweni.
Mathula Mkhize, of Santaco KZN, said while the negotiations with the municipality were ongoing, they were at an all-time low.
He warned that the taxi industry would not budge on their demand, saying the market identified for the Go! Durban project was one that the taxi industry had cultivated over decades.
He said those who had a bigger clientele base, should automatically have the bigger percentage in the buses.
“This project is their brainchild, they are the ones who have put money in the ground. The last two council terms have not been able to generate any money from this project. We are losing nothing,” he said, adding that the municipality should negotiate an amicable settlement with the taxi operators.
Mthethwa said the municipality could not be held to ransom by the taxi industry.
“If they cannot find each other, the municipality must go ahead and implement. This is a taxpayer-funded project,” said Mthethwa.
THE MERCURY